March 25, 2015
It’s been a tough year for the Toronto Maple Leafs. With 60 points on the season, only the Buffalo Sabres have less in the Eastern Conference. This will be the ninth time in the past 10 seasons that the Maple Leafs have failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Toronto has one of the most passionate fan bases in all of the NHL, staying loyal and attending games through the ups and downs of the franchise. However, the prolonged losing has started to take its toll on those fans.
For the second time since 2002, the Leafs failed to sellout a game at the Air Canada Centre. The listed attendance for Monday’s game against the Minnesota Wild was 18,366, almost 500 below capacity. The previous non-sellout came earlier this season for an October 14 game against the Colorado Avalanche. Prior to that game, the Maple Leafs had sold out every game since October of 2002.
Monday’s low attendance led ticket prices to be slashed by 50 percent at the box office right before the game. In the past the team has reduced ticket prices on the day of the game, but lately more tickets have been left available at even deeper discounts than usual.
Prices for Maple Leafs tickets have also started to fall on the secondary market. Toronto season average was $270 on the secondary market, the most expensive in the league, but only one of the Leafs’ five home games sports an average above that mark. The other four games all have an average price below $200.
The most expensive game will come for Toronto’s home final against the Montreal Canadiens. Maple Leafs vs Canadiens tickets have an average price of $401.68 with a get-in price of $152. The Canadiens currently lead the NHL with 100 points and have defeated the Maple Leafs in all three previous games this season.
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